Ultimate Chart (a/o May 18th):
This is one of those things you only notice when you notice. For example, when your annual renewals are due within 30 days. And in the past few weeks, Tunecore has more than doubled its album distribution renewal fees, from $19.98 to $49.99.
Actually, that's a 150% increase, and $30 means something
to most artists. We talked to a Tunecore customer service rep about the shift, who confirmed that the price hike actually happened April 6th. But of course, Tunecore wasn't about to trumpet the change. Singles and ringtone distribution renewal charges remain the same - at $9.99 per year.
We had little trouble locating pissed-off artists. "This is a highly alarming event and many artists consider it blatant fraud," one artist wrote on the Velvet Rope forum. "The sign-up deal was $19.98 per year to renew an album. I want you to know I will immediately be contacting the Better Business Bureau, the Consumer Protection Agency and RipOff Report."
Tunecore does reserve the right to change rates, and the company has been notifying artists - but typically within 30 days of renewal. That technically allows time to shop around, though shifting contents to another service can be a huge hassle. And, there are serious penalties for non-renewal. "You must renew by the date above to keep your music live on the online stores you selected," the Tunecore letter states. "If you do not renew, your release will be taken down from the online stores after the renewal date. You will lose all your reviews, comments, future sales and your TuneCore Media Player. "
There are extras that come with the elevated price. The rep told Digital Music News that the increased rate also allows bands to select an unlimited number of stores, and trending reports are free. And, he offered a tip - if you want to add another store after initial sign-up, you can call Tunecore and they will waive the $1.98 add-on fee. Thanks, guys.
Update, 5:30 pm PCT: BFM Digital is now stepping in with an offer to lure artists unhappy with the situation. BFM is waiving all setup and UPC fees (three-album minimum) for artists, and the company does not have renewal or hosting fees. To take advantage of this deal, email info@bfmdigital.com and put "No Fees" in the subject line."
Anyone else?
Comments Closed
@JamesHCherry Friday, May 06, 2011
James Cherry
Finally this has been picked up on!
Visitor Monday, May 09, 2011
It's still a good deal - but it looks like they hit the wall with "new" business...
Coop Monday, May 09, 2011
Actually...I just saw this from ONErpm...
MUSICIANS! Simply retweet the message below to get 50% off our one-time fee:
"Distribute to iTunes and beyond and sell your music directly on Facebook with @ONErpm"
RouteNote Wednesday, May 11, 2011
This makes the RouteNote service unbeatable. RouteNote is already the leading digital music distributor in the UK and we are really trying to help out artists as much as possible.
Check out our service at: http://routenote.com
We offer a Free and Premium service
Greg Friday, May 06, 2011
Wow. F**k you tunecore. I'm going to start looking at other options for my band. A dollar or two is ok, but that hike is unacceptable.
Jon Friday, May 06, 2011
It's not like 50 is all that bad per year. if you can't sell 15 copies of your album to generate that 50 dollars, odds are your album doesn't really have to be on iTunes anyway.
GarronT Friday, May 06, 2011
15 albums is a lot just to pay your Tunecore bill. And these days every artist does need to be on iTunes. It's too easy not to, and they sell the vast majority of the downloads worldwide.
@gotocage Friday, May 06, 2011
gotocage
Yikes
@halcyonshore Friday, May 06, 2011
Halcyon Shore
YIKES!
@HowToRunABand Friday, May 06, 2011
Chris Seth Jackson
WTF? That's horrid! Wow, Tunecore just lost my business.
steven corn Friday, May 06, 2011
Tunecore is correct that switching distributors can lose rankings and reviews. However, what they don't say is that most of their artists could easily ask their fans to review the album again. Further, rankings in the search results for most artists will not help them unless they have already had a substantial amount of previous sales. If not, then the the risks of switching distributors is minimal at best.
Tunecore is playing mind games and trying to instill a sense of fear while holding their artists hostage to a capricious rate hike.
Charles Friday, May 06, 2011
CD Baby doesn't have any yearly fees. I'd switch.
Jon Friday, May 06, 2011
doesnt CD baby take a fee per download?
GarronT Friday, May 06, 2011
Yeah, but it's only like 9% of sales from places like iTunes.
John Saturday, May 07, 2011
To me, 9% is a hell of a lot more than $50/year. How much are you guys selling?
Garron T Sunday, May 08, 2011
We're not selling a ton, but CD Baby's 9% is after iTunes cut, so it's really only around 6 cents per single song download or 60 cents on a full album. So, I figure my band or any band needs to sell almost 800 single song downloads or around 80 full album downloads a year for CD Baby's cut to get up to $50. And that would have to be year after year, the way most of my and most other albums have sold, they have a shelf life.
I currently have albums on both, and will be moving soley to CD Baby.
EM Monday, May 09, 2011
hmm...last I checked it's around 60c per song sold and 6 bucks per album after fees and deductions. Haven't checked recently. The 6cents figure might be some streaming services...
GarronT Tuesday, May 10, 2011
EM
You are referring to the bands cut and I was referring to CD Baby's cut. We are both right, but looking at it from two different angles.
CTyankee Friday, May 06, 2011
I guess Jeff Price's revolution is going to be expensive.
Madalyn Sklar Friday, May 06, 2011
That is too high. Sorry Tunecore, you had me at Hello but it's time for me to recommend ReverbNation. Jeff and I go way back but to raise your renewal fee that high is outrageous. I've sent you a ton of biz. That is changing NOW.
Coop Monday, May 09, 2011
Eeek...no way would I EVER use ReverbNation!! We thought to use them in the past, but recently some of my other band friends have had issues with them dipping into their account!!
Also, they seem to have worked a deal with MySpace and we all know that MySpace is down the tubes and is nothing more than spam these days.
I'm telling you people...CHECK OUT ONERPM.COM!!
Best move I've made in a long time regarding digital distribution service!
@Sidelic Friday, May 06, 2011
Jon Sidel
Tunecore has always reeked of "too good to be true" I would bet we're on our way to 99$
jazztothebone Friday, May 06, 2011
Reverbnation looks better now
http://www.reverbnation.com/subscription/feature/artist_1290225?product_id=5&source=Home+Premium+Services
Food For Thought Saturday, May 07, 2011
...and the great artist advocate Jeff Price is once again revealed to be just a carnival barker profiteering (and now gluttonously so) on the dreams of artists.
From a strict investment standpoint, 98% of Tunecore's artists' money'd be better spent buying $50 worth of lottery tickets. So Jeff is simply testing the market value of the vanity (or insanity) of the overwhelming majority of the so-called artists he cashes in on (while shouting into every mic he can get near that they too can make it so long as their music is on iTunes, etc).
That neither makes him good nor bad, but it is what it is and his new fee, to me, makes it a little more transparent and I think that is a good thing. I like Tunecore as a model for many & recommend it frequently. And I actually like Jeff (his bluster aside) but knowing Jeff for as long as I have, the one thing I couldn't stand was his pompous, self-righteous positioning as the advocate for the musician masses. He really is just another businessman and now that his new pricing structure helps reveal that, it should help provide some clarity to the reasons behind so much of his vitriole against anyone that points out how devastated the music business economy has been for EVERYONE serious about making money from their music.
It's tremendously valuable - enriching - to Jeff if you THINK you have a chance so that's what he sells. You probably don't but now it's going to cost you $50 to find out.
Worth the money Saturday, May 07, 2011
From what I went through i the past for distribution re: hassles like cost of manufacturing and retailers ripping me off, I'd have no problem paying $100.00 per album. Still dirt cheap and agreat service.
Long Live Tunecore
@Pjgarea Saturday, May 07, 2011
Peter J. Garea
Oh yeah Tunecore?
@notshocking Saturday, May 07, 2011
Not Shocking
"We had little trouble locating pissed off artists"
@TraceMotivate Saturday, May 07, 2011
Trace Motivate
LOL!!
@kimblethenimble Saturday, May 07, 2011
rich masio
zimbalam and fuga making power plays
@DreaCros Saturday, May 07, 2011
Drea Crossett
Way not cool.
@bfrankemusic Saturday, May 07, 2011
Brian Franke
Really Tunecore? Not for the little guy. Not cool.
@greggterrence Saturday, May 07, 2011
Shameful bait & switch.
Frank Allen Sunday, May 08, 2011
Ditto Music's yearly fee is only £15, which is about $24 dollars. They also do take a commision - that's pretty good.
McNulty Monday, May 09, 2011
"This is a highly alarming event and many artists consider it blatant fraud," one artist wrote.
presnikoff Monday, May 09, 2011
@McNulty,
I think your reaction is understandable, because we really didn't convey the anger among artists we found in various forums. So, it sort of sounds like we called or emailed one artist to get one reaction, which yes, is bad practice. But that's really not the case, so I updated the article to link to the Velvet Rope forum that we pulled the quote from. That was actually the intent all along, but we mistakenly didn't update that part of the draft.
/pr
Richard Johnson Monday, May 09, 2011
You should check out AWAL. Fee free with only a comission. 30-day rolling contract, non-exclusive. If they're good enough for Radiohead they're goon enough for me!
@deltanineonline Monday, May 09, 2011
Delta Nine Online
Not very nice, but thank God for AWAL
@hellomarko Monday, May 09, 2011
Mark Montgomery
an interesting issue afoot with TuneCore, is the model broken or are the counting on artists not changing?
Hannah Monday, May 09, 2011
I'm happy... but then I am with Zimbalam :)
@WesBeez Monday, May 09, 2011
Wes B
Wow
@daviddewese Monday, May 09, 2011
David Dewese
Ouch! Photo proof from my inbox:
@CrowsNestMgmt Monday, May 09, 2011
MB
TuneCore uses mafia methods, ripping off artists
JanonymousR Monday, May 09, 2011
First off, Tunecore bets against the artists success. Secondly, it's high renewal fees stack the odds against the artist's profitability.
Sam Boyd Monday, May 09, 2011
This is why I go to Venzo Music for getting my songs on iTunes. I don't really trust the upfront fees because they can become expensive over time. With Venzo Music, I can sell unlimited music and music videos on iTunes without paying any upfront fees or monthly fees. Check them out.
http://www.xeinge.com
Sparklebuns Monday, May 09, 2011
I just emailed bfmdigital.com. interested to see what they respond with. On top of silly fees, Tunecore has had poor customer service and little to no product advancement. I don't need stat and trending reports when I am only selling 30 bucks worth of songs per month. 20 bucks a year was worth their almost satisafactory service, but $50 a year certainly is not. This day and age, when there are at least 5 companies offering up the same service, the last thing you'd think they would want to do is a mandatory hike in prices.
Coop Monday, May 09, 2011
UGH...Tunecore is such a crappy service, and now they raised their prices!?!? I feel bad for those who haven't found out about ONErpm.com. They are wayyyyyyy cheaper and even have a Facebook application where you can sell your music right on Facebook without leaving the site. You can even give free songs away in exchange for an email address...similar to Bandcamp.
I made the switch with my band about 3 weeks ago and have been nothing but happy. Check em out....
Coop Monday, May 09, 2011
Actually...I just saw this from ONErpm...
MUSICIANS! Simply retweet the message below to get 50% off our one-time fee:
"Distribute to iTunes and beyond and sell your music directly on Facebook with @ONErpm"
@unmarshal Monday, May 09, 2011
Marshall Beddoe
Brutal bait and switch.
Artists: Check out Topspin instead.
JanonymousR Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Yeah, having a renewal fee that out of nowhere grows 100s of percents seems a bit bait and switch. Then again did they advertise a fixed renewal fee? If no, then it's not bait and switch.
Artist manager Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Well well well. How many of these records should actually be available . I see a storm of artists claiming distribution of their music as some kind of human right. Keeping track of all their music is a time consuming and expensive process. Remember when the labels only released stuff they thought would sell in reasonable amounts? Well now you know why. Tunecore should be allowed to price their services any way they want to. Maybe this price rise will make certain artists reconsider if they really have three whole albums that the public has to have available?
Some indie artists have bigger online catalogues than the John Lennon. Think about it. Not every tune you write deserves distribution. and the guys who provide it for you need to get paid.
Zimbalam Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Zimbalam costs £19.99 to release a single
and just £29.99 to release an EP or album.
Our annual fee is £9.99 for a single and £19.98 for an EP or album. You pay an up-front fee to cover your distribution and the first year's subscription all in one, after that the subscription fee for following years will be automatically deducted from your royalties. After your subscription fee has been recouped, you earn 100% of the royalties generated from any sales.
If for some reason you don't earn enough royalties to cover the subscription
fee for a particular release we simply keep whatever royalties you have earned
and don't charge you again. This is reset each year.
Many distributors will charge you a full subscription fee regardless of whether
a release has sold any copies, so we have created this solution as the fairest
option for artists on the market.
You keep 100% of your royalties & rights and you get access to our
leading range of promo tools at no extra cost:
*HTML music player which you can embed in Facebook, Myspace and any
other website
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@TAOXproductions Tuesday, May 10, 2011
T Reed
The yucky middleman strikes again!
@Remixlab Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Maxi
Are they owned by Republicans now? Found this out the hard way!
Venzo Music Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Venzo Music gives artists & record labels DIRECT access to iTunes. Unlike other distributors out there, we enable all of our labels to upload music directly on iTunes using their proprietary network.
We also enable all users to sell unlimited music, music videos, ringtones, and iTunes LPs while earning 80% of all sales made every month. We also provide FREE UPCs, ISRCs, Trending Reports, and Monthly Financial Reports too.
Check us out: http://www.venzodigital.com.
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/itunesdistribution
Doc Holliday Thursday, May 12, 2011
I actually think there are legal issues here. We as musicians (small business owners) did our research to find a company that best suited our business model. We knew that we would be entering into a long business partnership with that company due to the nature of the business of self distribution.That is to say, we knew that to leave Tunecore after our album had gone through release would mean pulling it from itunes and amazon and therefore a loss of our assets (itunes and amazon rankings and reviews). These are huge assets for us. We signed up under a certain price tag with certain services offered in return. These services have not changed radically, but the price has gone up 150%. Yes we have the option to not renew our contract, but again we lose very valuable assets in the process. This forces us into a very bad position. If I have 5 albums, my fees are now $250 a yr vs $100. Now, CD and Nimbit or whoever start looking better... The thing is, we can't switch because we are taking a huge loss for our business if we do (rankings and reviews).
KJER.com Friday, May 13, 2011
All dissatisfied Tunecore artists and labels are most welcome to sign up for our GOLD, SILVER or BRONZE flat-rate distribution membership at www.kjer.com and get 50% off the yearly fee. We allocate UPCs for free and you can upload an unlimited number of releases for distribution in a 12 month period for a symbolic amount. Send us an email at info@kjer.com and write "out of tune" in the subject field.
YouTunez.com Tuesday, May 24, 2011
We offer digital music distribution starting at $1,29 per month. All shops, isrc and ean codes and promotion tools included!
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